Forests
Forests are an essential natural resource for the planet, but they are disappearing. Recent estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation put the rate of natural forest loss at over 14.6 million hectares (an area the size of Nepal) each year. That's 30 hectares every minute.
Two thirds of the planet's forests have already been felled. The spread of urban development, illegal logging, land conversion for agriculture, road building, mining, forest fires, and climate change, all contribute to deforestation.
It is estimated that 1.6 billion people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihoods. Forests provide us with an incredible array of natural resources such as timber products, wood fibre for paper, and medicinal plants treating everything from the common cold to cancer. Forests purify the air we breathe. They stabilise watersheds, helping to improve the quality and quantity of freshwater supplies. They stabilise soil, preventing erosion and reducing the risk of landslides. Forests are also home to countless indigenous people.
Across the world there are increasing examples of what can happen when we remove forests. Land once buffered by woodland becomes more prone to drought and landslides and flash floods start to destroy roads, bridges and crops. Those most affected by such events are predominantly the poorest members of society, as they tend to live near the forest frontier and depend more on forest resources like fuelwood.
At least half of all logging activities in particularly vulnerable regions such as the Amazon Basin, Central Africa, Southeast Asia and the Russian Federation is thought to be illegal. It is estimated that the illegal timber trade makes up more than 10 per cent of total global timber trade, worth more than US$150 billion a year. This needs to be tackled to protect the future of the world's forests, and the people that depend upon them.